Hogan made the announcement during a speech at the Maryland Municipal League’s summer conference on June 27. After describing O'Malley's plan as a usurpation of local government authority, he offered a brief rationale for the decision.

"...Earlier today, I signed an executive order to repeal that burdensome regulation, which had created overflowing landfills and unnecessary hardships for local governments," Hogan said in a video posted from the event. "We're replacing that last-minute, ill-conceived and poorly devised policy with a common sense, balanced approach to managing waste in Maryland which lifts that state mandate on permitting and re-configures recycling rates to realistic, reasonable and achievable levels."

Soon after, Hogan’s office released a five-page executive orderlaying out details for a new “Waste Reduction and Resource Recovery Plan." At first glance, it includes many of the same words as any other modern waste strategy — sustainable materials management, source reduction, reuse, stakeholder consultation, data measurement, inter-agency cooperation, job creation, and anaerobic digestion, among others. Unlike O’Malley’s plan, it doesn't include any dates, diversion rate targets or mention of internal recycling priorities for state government.